Preparing a Cozy, Welcoming Guest Room

Guests are coming to stay overnight at your house. Let’s talk about how you can prepare a guest room and bathroom to help them feel warm, cozy and welcome staying in your home.

Guests are coming to stay overnight at your house. Preparing a cozy, welcoming guest room will make having company over easy, simple and enjoyable. Having guests in your home can be a daunting task. Before you begin to feel overwhelmed, let’s talk about a few ways to prepare a guest room and bathroom. A little preparation before hand, can go a long way in helping us get ready to welcome guests into our home. Together we can make their rooms feel warm and welcoming.

It feels like it we have had very little company in the last couple years but I sure do like welcoming friends that live far away into our home. It’s always a great time catching up and spending time together. Because I am having overnight company soon, I decided to see what I could do to prepare their bedroom and bathroom beforehand and share these tips with you. I also realized that many of the necessary items, such as sheets and towels were old, worn out and needed replacing. A great excuse for me to buy some fresh linens and accessories.

The Guest Room

Let’s focus on the guest bedroom first. I don’t have a separate extra bedroom in our house for guests. In order to make this work, we have bought a queen size mattress for my daughter’s bedroom and when company stays over, she moves into her siblings room for a few nights. I first start by giving the guest room a good cleaning, dusting and vacuuming. Next I went through and looked at all my extra pillows, pillowcases, sheets and blankets for this room. I made a list of what I need and put the items that I already had aside for later. Keep in mind how many guest you have and whether they are adults or kids.

Here is what my bedroom list looked like.

• Mattress, foam or inflatable air bed
• Mattress protector (size: twin, double, queen, king)
• Sheets- fitted and flat
• Pillows- one per guest
• Pillow protector
• Pillowcases
• Warm cozy blanket (size: twin, double, queen, king)
• Quilt or duvet

Mattresses For Guests

Let’s start with a mattress or some kind of sleeping surface for your guests. There are a variety of mattresses that can work. But one thing that I would strongly suggest, is to make sure the mattress is comfortable and sturdy. This will ensure your guests have a good nights sleep. If you have a designated spare bedroom for guests, then probably a queen size mattress on a platform or bed frame is a good option. This a comfortable size for two adults. Another option would be a foam mattress or an inflatable mattress. These can be stored away after the guests leave.

Bed Linens

Now let’s talk about linens or what to put on your guest mattress. I would start with a waterproof mattress protector that matches your bed size. This will keep your mattress clean, protected and they are easy to wash. Secondly get a sheet set which includes a fitted sheet, flat sheet and pillow case that all match. I won’t dive into the many types of material for sheet sets, but just think about whether your guest room is cooler or warmer. Also think about what season you are in…. winter may mean fleece or flannel sheets. In the summer you’d look at cooler, breathable materials like cotton or linen. Choose a colour that is neutral and blends in well with the paint colour of your room and the blankets and quilts you will be using on top.

Pillows

Pillows for the guest to rest their heads on, is the next important item to think about. I love a good, comfortable pillow and to me it means getting a good nights rest. They don’t have to be expensive but making sure they are still in good shape is . Have one per guest and an extra for adding to the pillow shams on top. Cover your pillows with a removable, washable pillow cover and this will help keep your pillows clean and in great shape. Put some pillowcases to match your sheet set on top of the pillow protectors and you are all done.

Blankets, quilts and duvets

Blankets, quilts or duvets are the last linen to put on your bed. Any of these covers will work great in preparing a welcoming and cozy guest room. Remember to take into account, what season you are in and what the temperature of the guest room usually is at. This will help you decide which blankets and covers you will use.

Adding some fun accent pillows and a throw are just a couple examples of extra accessories you can add to the bed. Be creative and bring in a pretty pop of colour, if you’ve done mostly neutrals.

The Guest Bathroom

Having a guest bathroom is pretty much as important as the bedroom. Even if it’s a shared bathroom, you can get it ready for guests in a way that makes your guests feel comfortable. Give your bathroom a good clean, empty garbages, and stock with toilet paper and Kleenex. Take inventory of your bath towels, hand towels and facecloths. Freshen up what you have by putting them through the laundry, especially if they haven’t been used in a while. Make a list of what you need. Usually allow for one bath towel, hand towel and facecloth per guest. Place or hang a hand towel near the sink for drying your hands. Roll up the facecloths and place in a cute basket. The bath towels can be rolled or folded and stored on a nearby shelf, cabinet or in a cute basket.

I also wanted to replace my shower curtain liner and hang a cute shower curtain over top to brighten up the bathroom. A curtain liner can become yellow and spotted after a while, so this was an instant and easy refresh in my bathroom. Here is a list of bathroom items to help you evaluate what you have and what you need.

• Bath towels or sheets (in a large size)
• Hand towels
• Facecloths
• Shower curtain liner (water proof with weights on the bottom)
• Curtain hooks (if you don’t already have)
• Shower curtain

Extra Ways To Make Guests Comfortable

Here are a few things to add your guest room in your house that will help make your guests feel extra cozy and welcome in your home. A guest basket or tray sitting on their bed or end table is a nice addition. This is a great place to add a couple water bottles, fuzzy slippers, cozy housecoat, snacks, chocolates and the wifi password in a cute frame. A pretty lamp and a small alarm clock are also nice to set out on a small nightstand beside the bed. Sometimes I add a little fan or heater depending on what season we are in.

Enjoy Your Company

In conclusion, I’d like to encourage every one of you. Now that you have done all the hard work in preparing a cozy, welcoming guest room, take the time to enjoy having them in your home. Laugh, talk, eat and have fun together.

XO Rachel